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Metcalf was suspended by the NFL for the final two games of the regular season after an altercation with a fan in the Steelers’ Week 16 win over the Lions. He appealed the ruling, having previously reported the fan to Seahawks team security prior to his trade to the Steelers. An appeals officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA upheld Metcalf’s suspension and he will now miss Weeks 17 and 18 against the Browns and Ravens. It is costly in two ways for Metcalf; he will lose $555K in salary and has $45 million guaranteed voided, while the Steelers will not have him for a stretch run in which a win clinches the AFC North for them. Roman Wilson is in line for increased opportunities with Metcalf out, though we do not recommend him for fantasy lineups in the fantasy championship.

Though he did not practice at all last week, Jacobs played through his knee injury in Week 16. He was inefficient and sidelined late with the injury still clearly hampering him. It is an encouraging sign that Jacobs is listed as limited Tuesday, though the practice report should be taken with a grain of salt as the Packers held a walkthrough and an ankle injury was added to his designation. Jacobs plays through injury as much as possible, so the limited designation indicates he is planning to play again in Week 17 against the Ravens.

The Ravens held a walkthrough on Tuesday, so the injury report is just an estimate. However, Jackson being listed as the only non-participant does not bode well for his status in Week 17. Head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that Jackson is day-to-day with a back contusion that forced him out of Sunday’s game against the Patriots; fantasy managers should stay tuned for the practice reports later in the week to see if he can get a practice in. It is a shorter week than usual for the Ravens as they play on Saturday against the Packers. For now, Jackson is on the wrong side of questionable and Tyler Huntley may be starting in Week 17 for Baltimore.

He appears on track to start and play the main role on Thursday against the Lions, perhaps with Ty Chandler backing him up as it seems Jordan Mason won’t be able to make it active. Jones will probably be more of an RB3 with Max Brosmer under center against the Lions.

Kittle’s Week 17 status could be in jeopardy with the 49ers having already clinched a playoff berth, but we’ll keep the light on for the practice report since the 49ers are (miraculously) alive for the No. 1 seed in a must-win game against the Bears. Some are calling it the middest ankle sprain they’ve ever seen, the rare “Jeff Fisher 7-9" ankle sprain. We’ll check back in on Kittle on Wednesday, but fantasy managers should probably start preparing backup plans.

Fields looked downright unplayable for much of 2025, struggling to complete 10 passes at times and crossing 200 yards passing in just four of nine starts. The Jets also failed to really utilize his legs on designed plays for much of the season, leaving him with the worst of both worlds as a fantasy contributor. Still somehow only 26, Fields is no guarantee to see out the second year of his two-year contract with the Jets. A post-June 1 release would save the Jets $10 million in cap space. He also is a trade possibility. The knee injury is not incredibly significant, with Fields telling reporters in the locker room last week that he felt “week to week,” so he should be healthy for the offseason.

We’d write that this increases the chances of Jahymr Gibbs consolidating the backfield touches, but he’s already done that since Dan Campbell started calling plays. Montgomery might get a little extra run on Thursday if the Lions manage to blow out the Max Brosmer-led Vikings, so he does perhaps have a little more FLEX upside than in recent weeks.

Two limited practices would seem to have Williams well in line to play on Christmas. Will we get a full dose of Williams, or will the backfield continue to trend more towards a split with Malik Davis as the season winds down and the Cowboys are eliminated? The answer will probably tell us a lot about what on paper seems to be an RB2 smash spot against the Commanders.

Rypien was with the Vikings in training camp and arguably would be as deserving of a start as anybody in Minnesota given how Max Brosmer has played so far. Perhaps that’s a Week 18 possibility. For now, he’ll serve as a backup.

It would seem exceedingly likely that Josh Johnson will get the start on Christmas against the Cowboys. The Commanders are seven-point underdogs at home and Johnson (wincing) could be a viable superflex QB2 against one of the worst defenses in the NFL this year.